As ever,
Muriel.

Delafield cares nothing for the ruins and historical treasures of the Eternal City, but he is mightily interested in being near Muriel, and he leaves the house prepared to accept this invitation.

     As he comes down the steps of his house to enter his car,

an old blind man, led by a little dog on a cord, shuffles
along and collides with him.  Delafield steps back, pushing the
man from him, who, as if fearing a blow, raises his arms to
guard against it and then hurries on, while Delafield, sneering
as he watches him, steps into his car and drives off.

          At the Trevor’s, he is shown into the library, where Muriel
     and her father are sitting in earnest conversation.  They rise to
     greet him, the professor shaking his hand warmly.  When Muriel
     goes to him, Delafield takes her left hand in his (close-up),
     and with his right index finger touches the engagement ring
     on her finger and then points to himself, thus indicating that
     he already looks upon her as his property, albeit he plainly
     shows his genuine regard for her.  She presently picks up the
     book to which she and her father have been referring before
     Delafield’s entrance and shows it to him, saying: 

“FATHER AND I HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING THE THEORY OF REINCARNATION”

     At which Delafield smiles good-naturedly, but plainly shows that
     he considers the theory so much rubbish, answering: 

“WHILE I’M ALIVE, THAT SORT OF THING DOESN’T INTEREST ME; AND WHEN
     I’M DEAD, IT WON’T MATTER”

     The professor is plainly disappointed by this speech, but he
     passes it off with a smile, answering: 

“ONE HAS TO DIE, MY DEAR FELLOW, TO FIND OUT THAT IT DOES MATTER”

The truth of which remark is not apparent to Delafield until some time later.  He smiles at the professor’s earnestness, which Muriel quite evidently shares, and is about to speak to the girl again when her brother, Jack, enters.  He is about twenty-two, clean-cut and jovial, and he greets Delafield heartily, at the same time asking his father:]

CHAPTER IX

THE CAST OF CHARACTERS

The expression “the cast of characters” may be used in any one of three senses:  the list of principal characters as it is thrown on the screen to serve the purpose of a theatre program; the actual group of actors used in the production of the photoplay; and the complete cast of characters as made by the writer for his script.  Of course it is not necessary here to consider each of these three uses of the term, but it will be quite easy to avoid confusion if we bear the distinctions in mind.

1.  Showing the Cast on the Screen